Colorado SEO Blog - SEO, Social Media, Search Engine Marketing Tips & More

Website & Social Media Copy Writing - MUST GET IT RIGHT!

2011-09-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

Copy writing for a website, social media post, PPC ad - any online communication - is different than print copy writing. When you think about, even good copy writing for print marketing materials or advertising uses a different style than what is used for business reports, letters, books, manuals, etc. However, it seems like the concept of using a different type of writing for online communications is a difficult concept for many to embrace.

Web copy writing is not an excuse for poor writing but is an effective style that better fits the medium and audience.

Numerous reliable studies have indicated that web users read online content much differently than print copy (requiring a different writing style for an improved user experience) :

Web readers jump around the web page scanning for specific bits of information - all within just a few seconds.
Print readers typically spend more time with content as they read word-for-word, in a linear fashion. Even if you've written a masterpiece, Web readers are an impatient lot who can be turned off by tons of content.

And, I haven't even touched on the SEO reasons for correct online copy writing. That will have to be for another day.

Just remember that online copy writing can be very powerful or very destructive. My advice: hire a professional!

Carole

Are You Sabotaging Your SEO – How You May be Zapping the Power of Your Online Touch Points

2011-08-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

Many companies are not doing themselves any favor by approaching Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with self-sabotaging practices. The way a company optimizes their online touch points can really make or break a company’s sales, business development, reputation management, customer relationship building, and Marketing/PR efforts.

The Top 5 Ways Companies Compromise the Power of SEO

Having an “either or” attitude. Successful SEO Strategies require Social Media and effective Social Media requires SEO. By having an “either or” attitude, a company misses out on great business advantages that come with the necessary integration of SEO and Social Media.
DIY SEO. SEO requires specialized expertise. Most companies have an idea that SEO is important and that they should be using it with their website (and since many of these companies have an “either or” attitude Social Media doesn’t even come into the SEO discussion). However, many companies believe that an intern or employee can do a little reading up about SEO and develop a “good enough” strategy that will get their website to the top of the search listings.
Hiring Cheap “Experts”. More people are jumping on the SEO bandwagon to promote themselves as “experts”. You may be seeing this in action when you get email spam from companies that offer SEO services for $15 (USD) per hour. On the other side, some companies are seeking an SEO “expert” that will create and manage strategies for $17 per hour.
Depending on Web Designers. Good website designers and developers are crucial to creating a professional website but they are not typically SEO experts. Finding a balance between good design and usability with SEO is important and some designers may have a lopsided perspective about that balance.
Ignoring online content standards. To get top search engine positioning your online content must be optimized. SEO requires a specific style of writing that incorporates very specific SEO tactics. Many Marketing execs, teams, writers, and managers don’t understand the necessity of using a writing style that is appropriate for the Internet and SEO.

Do any of the above sound familiar? If so, just stop!

Till next time!

Carole

Google+ - Can it Really Help Your Internet Marketing Strategy?

2011-08-01T15:37:00.000-07:00

Our clients are now asking “what is Google+ and should we start using it”? Many of our clients have heard about this new platform but wonder why they need to become a part of Google+ when they’re still trying to figure out Facebook.

On June 28, Google launched the trial version of Google Plus (aka Google+) and is an “invitation only” community at this time. (Get in touch with carole@awarenesscreation.com if you’d like an invitation.) Google plans to outperform Facebook with this new social platform that allows for a higher level of customization, flexibility and privacy.

The one difference between Facebook and Google+ you’ll find appealing is that you can organize your connections in Google+ better than within Facebook. On Facebook, everybody in your community is a “friend”. But with Google+ features (such as +Circles, +Sparks, and +Hangouts) you’ll be able to follow, share and communicate with your connections in a more logical, productive and private system.

+Circles. Allows you to organize your contacts into topical groups such as top business resources (Awareness Creation!), business clients, project stakeholders, golf pals, high school friends, etc. You can easily share specific information, links, videos, etc. with your select circles.

+Sparks. Automatically delivers articles, videos, photos, etc. to you based on your interests.

+Hangouts. Provides video chat rooms where you can “hangout” with the people in your circles. A Hangout can accommodate up to 10 users which could be a new option for your webinars, remote meetings, or even catch up time with friends.

Awareness Creation is recommending that you and your company begin to explore Google+ for a number of reasons.

Getting to know any new network takes time. Start using the Google+ features while it’s still relatively simple and you’ll be better able to grow within network as more features are added.
The features now available are worth getting to know and use.
Google+ will be adding the capability to add business profiles. Having a profile that can be indexed by search engines (especially Google) can ultimately strengthen your Internet Marketing – including your SEO.

And last but not least…

Awareness Creation is recommending that the use of any social platform should be included within a strong Internet Marketing Strategy. When you strategically use online opportunities for the promotion of your company – you can increase your inbound links, website traffic, and client base.

Happy August!

Carole

SEO No-Nos Could be Hurting Your Google Positioning

2011-07-12T07:43:00.000-07:00

Just a heads-up: even though you think you’re only using one URL for your website, search engines may see that your site uses a number of URLs which creates what the techies call a “canonical” issue – which can weaken your SEO strategy and positioning.

For instance: www.awarenesscreation.com is my website URL. However, IF I had a canonical issue (which I don't!), search engines would see that my website used the following additional URLs:

Awarenesscreation.com
Awarenesscreation.com/index.html
http://www.awarenesscreation.com

If you have a canonical issue, search engines interpret the situation as using duplicate content, which is an SEO No-No. Even if you don’t have duplicate content, Search engines will penalize a website as though it has duplicate content if you have a canonical problem.

And, if you’re backlinking to a variety of URLs (especially from valuable, authoritative sites) your inbound linking strategy is also going to be weakened which will prevent you from getting top Google search positions.

How to Repair a Canonical Issue & Improve Your SEO

Your website developer or hosting company can help you fix this problem:

1. Select the URL that want to consistently use as your website’s URL.
2. Create a 301 redirect from all URLs to your selected (canonical) URL.

Chipping away at Repairing SEO No-Nos

SEO continues to be important for your business development, reputation management, and online effectiveness. By repairing your canonical issue, you’ll have one less SEO No-No to worry about.

Of course, you’ll still have plenty of other issues lurking around the Web that can sabotage your SEO Strategy and keep you from out in front of the competition; but you can always get in touch with Awareness Creation to help you chip away at those SEO No-Nos!

Happy SEO-ing!

Carole

DIY (Do it Yourself) SEO May Not be Helping You!

2011-05-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

I've had a rash of new clients who have just updated their websites (or have new websites) and are just now discovering that their DIY SEO may be keeping their wonderful new sites from being indexed by Google. Many clients have had nothing but the best intentions to improve their websites with SEO but, unfortunately, many of the SEO strategies applied may be actually hurting the websites' rankings instead of helping.

Or, what's even more frustrating is that some clients are finding out their developers are using content management systems that need to be tweaked to get the benefits of SEO. After paying a pretty penny to design or update a site, you would think that some problems shouldn't have to be worried about. You would think...

Some of the most common SEO problems include:

Mis-use of keywords (or lack of strong, relevant keywords)
Duplicate content
URLs that are not search friendly
Canonical issues

If you're planning to have a website re-design or new website designed from scratch, check with us first so we can give you an idea of the SEO problems you can avoid before it's too late.

Have a great week!

Carole

Lawyer Internet Marketing: Why You Must Have Top Google Positions to Attract New Clients

2011-04-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

If you're an attorney, do you find that it's getting harder and harder to get new clients? That's no surprise. According to the American Bar Association and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the competition is getting tougher and tougher:

45,588 students were awarded J.D. or LL.B. degrees from 200 U.S. law schools during the 2008-2009 academic year.
Approximately 11,000 U.S. lawyers enter independent practices, annually. (As of 2010-2011 ~26% of lawyers are self-employed.)

Top Google Search Positions Should be a Law Firm's #1 Marketing Priority

Because of the increasing competition in the legal industry getting on page 1 of Google Search Listings is one of the most effective lawyer marketing tactics to have in a law firm marketing plan. Results of a survey completed by Greenfield/Belser & the Brand Research Company indicates that decision makers rely on the Internet when researching law firms and other outside professional service providers:

82% of executives now use the Internet for research more than other source.
78% of executives now go online to search for outside legal services.
85% of executives consider professional services firms' websites as important sources of information in their search for outside professionals.

And - given that Google is the most influential search engine, doesn't it make sense that an effective law firm marketing plan must include Google search engine optimization (SEO) and a Google Adwords campaign? (The answer is 'yes" - actually, the answer is "absolutely").

What to Know About Lawyer SEO & Law Firm Google AdWords Campaign

The key to getting top listings on Google requires the following:

Realistic expectations
Thorough Keyword Research & Development
On-Page Search Engine Optimization
Off-Page Search Engine Optimization
Performance Reporting
Ongoing Updates

Most important thing to remember about getting to the top of Google search: it's not a one-time, quick fix.

The second most important thing to remember: get professional help.

Happy Friday!

Carole

Big Companies Getting Busted for Using Black Hat SEO

2011-03-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

Huh... in mid-February the New York Times reported that JC Penney's was investigated and found "guilty" of using an inbound link scheme to get top Search Engine positions. Imagine that. A big company using a (most likely) big SEO firm that bought some paid link networks, suspiciously around holiday time. AND, thousands of bogus links pointing to Penney's site were cropping on totally unrelated sites. A couple of other "smoking guns" were found such as web page titles that did not match the link anchor texts and random "inconspicuous" links were appearing in the footers of, again, unrelated sites.

Of course, JC Penney's denied any knowledge of the crime and promptly fired their (most likely high-priced) SEO firm. AND, Penney's site has been penalized by Google to the point that it's not showing up in the coveted #1 & #2 spots it had gained during the holiday. Actually, it's been reported that the Penney's site is not showing up at all in any non-branded keyword searches. You still find the Penney's site using their name but not by searching with keywords such as "bedding", "dresses", "home decor", etc. which were at one time showing Penney's as #1 or #2 in search results.

Interestingly enough, Overstock.com was ratted out by a competitor for an inbound link building scheme that involved bribing .edu sites (with a 10% discount) to include Overstock's links on those highly valuable sites.

I have to say this is good news. It's about time those with the bucks start earning their top positions like the rest of us have to. Now, companies like Penney's and Overstock may have to put some dollars into an online reputation management campaign instead of costly Black Hat SEO Strategies.

It's not nice to fool Mother Google!

Carole

SEO Keyword Research & Development - The Life Force of Your SEO Strategy

2011-02-22T09:01:00.000-08:00

SEO keyword research and development is absolutely necessary for the following situations:

Establishing a domain name for your new website
Creating a new website
Updating an existing website
Meta data completion
Starting a blog
Posting to a blog
Developing a social networking presence
Maintaining a social network presence
Posting a video to social media sites
Tweeting
Writing online press releases
Writing online syndicated articles
Updating website content
Updating a social networking profile
Building inbound links
Fill in the blank...

But, (you observe) Search Engine Optimization is not on the list! Actually, all of the above is all about SEO. Everything in the list, above, contributes to the success of your SEO Strategy - if - you know the most powerful keywords to use and how to use them.

Keyword research and development isn't really very exciting but do you ever look at breathing in and out as exciting? You should! Keyword Development is as necessary and life sustaining to your SEO Strategy as breathing in and out is to your body. I find that to be very exciting!

Top 10 SEO To Dos for 2011

2011-02-08T10:25:00.000-08:00

For those of you who are easily intimidated by a full-blown SEO Strategy for advanced search engine rankings, expanded brand recognition, enhanced reputation management, and improved business development here is our Top 10 Checklist of Search Engine Optimization “must dos”:

Have a professional complete keyword research and development. The established keywords can be used in your website content, social media posts, and search engine marketing. Make sure to take advantage of geo-targeted keywords for Local Search if applicable.
Review your website keyword usage and adjust according to an updated keyword R&D.
Schedule monthly (at least) reviews of your website analytics or web logs. Look for trends that are bringing the best results (such as the keywords getting the most referrals).
Add new pages to your website: find new topics (and keywords) of interest to your audience for the focus of your new pages.
Post updated content on your web pages with the correct use of strong keywords.
Research and implement new ways to get free, high quality, inbound links. Use keywords in text inbound links when possible.
Find out the inbound links your competitors are getting and try to get the same links that they have – as long as they’re free and of high quality.
Complete regularly scheduled competitive analyses.
Check out your web logs and review your site logs and in Google Webmaster Tools to identify the 404 error pages that are showing up. Correct those errors.
Update your copyright notice.

Did you notice that the majority of the above recommendations included keywords usage? That’s no accident. Many website owners aren’t getting the best results possible because they don’t understand or pay attention to the power of keywords. Keywords are our SEO friends.

Got any good keyword stories? Please share – we’d love to hear about your good (or bad) experiences with keywords.

Carole

Time to See the Light – Social Media Can No Longer be Denied

2011-01-18T12:38:00.000-08:00

If you’ve been living in a cave (or in denial) Social Media may not seem to be important to your company. But it’s time to see the light: Social Media can help you achieve your online marketing objectives. Actually, Social Media can help you achieve your business objectives.

The Advantages of a Social Media Strategy

Companies of all sizes in a variety of U.S. and global industries are finding that Social Media brings a few unexpected, yet valuable results:

Increased Website Traffic
Improved Customer Relationship Management
Enhanced Reputation & Industry Leadership Positioning
Business Development Success

SEO is Greatly Impacted by Social Media

If the above results you can get from Social Media aren’t enough to convince you to deny your denial of the importance of Social Media – there is yet one more reason why it’s time to step into the social world we now live in: Google uses data from your social media presence as an important algorithm in determining your position in organic search positions. (Bing algorithms have included social media performance for a while.)

A few of the social media activities Google will be evaluating include:

Quality Twitter Followers (not just reciprocal followers)
Retweets (Twitter)
Liked Tweets
Links to Facebook Profile

So, wha’ dya think? Isn’t it time to integrate Social Media into your SEO Strategy?

P.S.

Of course, there is a technical process that you must follow for best results: Social Media Optimization.

SEO Vital 5 for 2011: Take a Step Back

2011-01-09T09:01:00.000-08:00

As we all get excited about moving forward in 2011, I would like to suggest that we take a step back when it comes to Search Engine Optimization.

Make Basic SEO One of your 2011 Business Resolutions

A successful Search Engine Optimization strategy needs to include a variety of tactics to push your site further up the search engine listings. But, with all the new advancements in technology and digital marketing it’s easy to become overwhelmed, side-tracked, and more at risk of losing a strong online presence (or never getting one in the first place).

So, it’s time review my Vital 5: the basics of SEO that will help your company start off the New Year with a solid foundation for your 2011 Internet marketing initiatives.

The SEO Vital 5

Website Design. No matter how gorgeous your site may be if it isn’t developed with user and SEO-friendly components, it’s not going to bring your company the results you may be expecting or needing. Make sure you have a good SEO-friendly architecture: your link structure must be properly established and navigable. Additionally, one mistake that many designers and developers make is that they are not aware of canonical URL issues. (Get in touch with Awareness Creation for more details about this potential SEO penalty situation!) If you’re the beholder of the beauty of your site, take a closer look to make sure it’s not just a pretty face.
Keyword Research & Development. Before any content for the website is written, it’s necessary that research is completed to discover the terms that are actually being used by your audience. Marketers often think they “know” the terms being used by people who are searching for information about their products or services. However, professional research will often shine a different light on the keywords that must be used within the website, meta data, and all online communications content. Once a user-centric list of keywords is established, these keywords can help propel your website to the top of search engine listings as well as help you better reach your audience. Also, be aware of the proper use of keywords within meta data and content – it can make or break your SEO success.
Web Content Optimization. Website copywriting is not the same as any other marketing copywriting. Many companies still use content from their print materials for their website content – which is not going to help improve the user experience or search listing positioning. Website copywriting requires an understanding of the science and art of online copywriting not only for websites but for all online communications.
Inbound Link Building. The number of links coming into your site is not as important as the quality of those inbound links. Many marketers are still under the wrong impression that as long as they have hundreds (or thousands) of incoming links, they’re golden. Not so. Search engines pay attention to who is linking to your site and how those links were acquired. Keeping up with inbound link building requirements will improve your search engine positioning.
Ongoing Web Analytics Review & Reporting. Many website owners have a wealth of information at their fingertips about the performance of their website, campaigns, SEO, and audience trends but never take advantage of that resource: website analytics applications or web logs. If you don’t have a web analytics application intact, get Google Analytics; it’s free, and it will provide invaluable information about the realities of your website. Of course, interpreting the data takes some expertise but it is worth it. Web logs are not my favorite resource but if you have them at least look into them to see if you can scrape together some useful data. Web logs (usually provided by your hosting company) are a little clunky to go through and may tend to focus more on technical rather than user issues but use ‘em if you got ‘em.

Each of the vital tactics, above, must be integrated into one Search Engine Optimization Strategy. So, the first thing I recommend is that you get a professional strategy established and follow it to the letter. If you don’t have the resources to implement the strategy all at once (the best option), create a monthly plan that will include SEO deliverables. Once your SEO Strategy is in place, keep it going – SEO is not a one-time thing.

It is possible – and vital - to get on the right SEO track for 2011. At a loss about how and where to start? Do you feel your existing SEO is not delivering the results you need? Or, are you a commitment phobe not wanting to deal with the continuing requirements of a relationship with your SEO? No worries, just get in touch with an expert SEO Consultant.

Here’s wishing all of you successful SEO and a fabulous 2011!

Carole

Online Advertising: Still a Good – No Make that Great - Investment

2010-11-19T14:58:00.000-08:00

According to a report by Online Media Daily*, online display ads’ click-through-rates (CTRs) were going through a period of decline since the financial crisis became our reality. However, online advertising has now reached a state of equilibrium and the CTRs are no longer declining.

I have to say that my clients have had great success with their online advertising. We haven’t experienced a decline in CTRs. The worst months have had somewhat flat performances but no declining CTRs. And, our online campaigns continue to bring exceptional and cost-effective brand building opportunities to our clients.

A research report by comScore stated that “two-thirds of Internet users do not click on any display ads during the course of a month, and only 16% of Internet users account for 80% of all clicks.” The comScore research also indicated that “display advertising continues to have an influence on user behavior even at low CTRs.”

Perhaps, part of the decline in CTRs was not because of the effectiveness of the display ads but due to the fact that many ineffective ads have been written and many campaigns have not been setup as well as they could have been. Advertisers wanted to jump on the online advertising bandwagon but didn’t really understand the mechanics of a successful campaign or how to write the best online ads.

So, I continue to recommend online display ads (specifically Google & MSN PPC ads) to clients because we’ve seen some great results in building brand awareness, CTRs and conversions. I also continue to recommend you get professional help for the most successful online advertising campaigns.

Happy Friday!

Carole

*The complete Online Media Daily article.

The Health Benefits of Social Media Marketing

2010-11-13T08:04:00.000-08:00

Medical studies have determined that being social can lower your risk for illness. What many have not yet realized is that being social can fix what ails their businesses. Social Media may be just what the doctor orders to help your company begin the healing process.

Just what are some of the benefits of Social Marketing?

Buzz Creation
Lead Generation
Opportunities to Promote Products & Services
Build Relationships with Past, Present & Future Clients
Increase Web Traffic
Build or Repair Your Reputation
Improve Brand Recognition
Real Time Search Engine Placements

Awareness Creation now has Social Media Marketing services and Social Media setup services that help your company get on and stay on a healthy regimen of Social Media - one of the most effective and least expensive channels for online advertising. Social Media is no longer just an online party for those under 21:

More than 1.5 million local businesses have pages on Facebook.
Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members.
Twitter has nearly 175 million registered users.

If you would like more information about Social Media Marketing, just let us know and we''ll send you a copy of our Social Media Marketing Overview. Or, just visit our Social Media Marketing web page.

Be Social & Prosper!

Carole

During Your 2011 Marketing/Advertising Budget Planning - Remember: There’s a Great Future in Internet Marketing!

2010-09-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

For many companies, it’s budget planning time. Departments scramble to gather the proof of their value to the company so they can get as many dollars as possible to support their initiatives and existence. For those Marketing and Advertising folks that are beginning this yearly ritual, I just want to say two words to you – just two words – are you listening? Internet Marketing.

More and more companies are realizing that Internet marketing has great advantages over traditional marketing. One of the top advantages of online advertising is the lower cost per marketing impression compared to traditional advertising. (Thanks to J Buschlen on HubPages for the following numbers):

A 30-second television commercial on a highly-viewed, mid-week evening show that has an estimated 22.9 million viewers will cost $705,000. Because this program has such a high number of viewers the cost per impression is calculated at $0.031 per impression.
A full-page, Sunday edition ad in the New York Times costs $145,278 and reaches 1.65 million people resulting in a $0.088 per impression.
A 30-second ad on an adult hits radio station in Los Angeles (1.4 million listeners per week, or 4,167 listeners during any one 30 second period) costs $1,083 – a cost per impression of $0.26 which is more than print and TV advertising.

(All of the numbers used for the cost per marketing impression data, above, are definitely for the high-end advertisers; scale back the numbers that are more in line with your expenditures and you’ll get an idea of the range of costs per marketing impression you can expect with a smaller budget.)

But, consider this:

A monthly Search Engine Optimization investment of $2,750 resulting in 670,000 targeted, search engine impressions comes out to only $0.004 per impression.

Traditional marketing and advertising uses “old media” that is losing its oomph while making line items appear as though they are screaming “CUT ME! I’M CLEARLY AN OVER-PRICED, UNDER-PERFORMING, OUT-DATED EXPENSE THAT IS NOT EVEN IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE ‘DOING MORE WITH LESS’ PHILOSOPHY THAT THE EXECUTIVES OF THIS COMPANY HAVE SO STRONGLY EMBRACED!”

Is there still a place for traditional marketing and advertising? Of course there is. One long-standing marketing tenet is that a marketing mix = good marketing. (I have to say this to be fair and somewhat realistic. But, I truly believe that an Internet marketing mix = great marketing. Funny though, when you think about it, the term “marketing mix” was coined waaaay back in 1953…hmmm. Could that term really continue to be relevant 55+ years later?!). So sorry – I got side-tracked.

However, for your 2011 budget, look at the traditional marketing mix you’ve used for years and find those expenses that can be replaced by more cost-effective, results-oriented, forward-thinking Internet Marketing strategies.

Random Reciprocal Link Exchanges - For-GET About It!

2010-09-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

I just watched Donnie Brasco again and was reminded about one of my favorite parts in the movie – the “forget about it” explanation.

“…But then, if you disagree, like a Lincoln is better than a Cadillac forget about it you know. But then, it's also like if something's the greatest thing in the world, like mingia peppers, forget about it.”

My inbound link building version:

“…But then, if you disagree, like about natural inbound link buidling is better than reciprocal linking forget about it you know. But, it’s also like if quality inbound link building is the greatest thing in SEO, forget about it.”
So – thank you Donnie Brasco for giving me the best way to respond to the frequent requests Awareness Creation gets for random reciprocal linking – forget about it!

Learn more about acceptable, up-to-date Inbound Link Building for Powerful SEO

Carole

Blogging for SEO

2010-09-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

When you hear terms like “blog development”, “blog seo”, “blog management” do you feel like you want to run as fast as you can to a familiar, comfy marketing place somewhere in the 1980s? Well, try to get over that one.

If you’re looking for ways to improve your SEO and increase your brand awareness, get a blog. Blogs have three main advantages:

• Search engines frequently check out blogs and will reward topic-focused, content-rich blogs with higher search listings.

• Blogs build inbound links which strengthen your SEO Strategy

• You can build a reputation as an industry leader/expert because of the information you provide and your improved search listings.

Google now has a blog search filter that will help your audience find information about your company. Once your blog has been indexed by Google you can increase your company exposure by getting a good position in Google Blog Search (as long as you have an optimized blog) – and that’s a great inbound link to acquire.

To find the Google Blog search feature, go to the Google home page, select “More” in the search option and select the “Blogs” link. You’ll be taken to the Blog Search Engine where you can begin to explore the blogosphere – the place where you will want to have company exposure.

Carole Keller

Do It Yourself SEO -

2010-09-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

This is a re-creation of a conversation I had just last night:

New Contact: "We're going to have a new website for this business so we'll probably be giving you a call to get our new site going."

AC: "Great. We'd love to help. One of the most important services we offer with website design is SEO. We like to make sure our clients have an understanding of SEO and how it will impact their bottom line. We infuse good design with a solid SEO Strategy to ensure good Internet exposure that helps your target market learn about your service right from the start..."

New Contact: "Oh, my dad has done a lot of reading about SEO and keywords and stuff like that. I'll let him handle it."

AC: "Is your dad in the Internet Marketing business?"

New Contact "No. He's a retired business consultant."

AAAARGH! Let me tell you what I see all the time: a company thinks that they can do their own SEO with no help from a professional. They Google SEO, read articles, blogs, maybe read a book, then they think they've got it mastered.

They "do" their SEO, don't get results (and can, in some cases, actually do damage to their search positioning) then say that SEO doesn't work. This also happens when companies decide to go with some automated SEO systems or low cost services.

Needless to say, I don't believe in do-it-yourself SEO no matter how much research you've done. I also don't believe in going with cheap SEO services that guarantee top results in 3 days.

There are reputable SEO consultants out there that are very affordable. And,since I do believe in shamelessly promoting my services on my blog: check out http://awarenesscreation.com/SEO.html.

Think of all the plumbers who have been called in to fix homeowners' do-it-yourself repairs. The homeowner usually makes things worse and ends up paying more just to get the job done right.

Same thing with SEO! Before you make things worse & more expensive, call a professional!

Carole